Friday, February 2, 2018

The Vanished Bride of Northfield House by Phyllis M. Newman - #review #giveaway

England, 1922 Times are hard. Anne Chatham is a clever, modest young woman with little money, no prospects for marriage, and a never-shared secret—she can see spirits.

Anne finds employment as a typist at Northfield House, the grand country manor of the Wellington family. Her employer, the wheelchair-bound Mr. Wellington, is kindly. His haughty wife is not. He has two handsome sons, the wry and dashing Thomas and the dark and somber Owen.

Anne feels sure her prayers have been heard. Until the terrifying night, she stumbles upon a tortured spirit roaming the dark halls of Northfield, a spirit that only she can see.

In a search for answers, she finds herself drawn to Owen as they unearth a tragic story from the Wellington family’s past—a beautiful young bride gone missing on her wedding day.

Then tragedy strikes again on the night of a glittering masquerade ball…

The setting and atmosphere of Ms. Newman's The Vanished Bride of Northfield House is nothing short of exquisite! I felt like I was in an old b&w gothic movie like Rebecca or just about anything with Vincent Price...maybe even the original Dark Shadows series.

A orphaned young woman (Anne) finds employment at Northfield House. As she is employed by the head of household, her station is considered 'above' a servant...but not equal to family or friends. And although she tries to deny it, Anne experiences a growing attraction to Owen, the family's younger son. Her head realizes a relationship or marriage between the two is nearly impossible, but of course, Anne's heart gets in the way. And so does Owen's. And you'd think that would be enough. But someone ... or something ... is trying to keep them apart.

I enjoyed watching Anne develop from a young woman, alone, with few prospects in life. She trusted herself and instincts more as the novel went on...and the situation became more dire and perilous. She is a little ambivalent about Owen, going back and forth on whether or not she trusts him; but her father passed not long before, she was 'alone' in the world, and she can sense ghosts or spirits. Any one of those situations, let alone all three, could make a person shaky about trusting their judgment.

And if that wasn't enough, 20 years after the bride's disappearance, another young woman disappears from a house party. Anne later finds the woman dead. Coincidence?

While "Vanished Bride" is almost certainly a standalone novel, luckily, Ms. Newman has other works for her readers to enjoy. I plan to do that very soon.

Phyllis M Newman turned to writing mysteries after a career in finance and human resources. She lives in Columbus, Ohio in a big house with a weed-filled yard, three strong-willed cats, and a husband that’s easy on the eyes.

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(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author and publishers via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.)